Device for moistening and sealing envelopes



l. W, ALLEN DEVICE FOR MOISTENING AND SEALING ENVELOPES TTLUGHOTJ Filed July 14 Patented May 13, 1924.

UNITED STATES PA TENT. OFFICE.

IRVIN G- W. ALLEN, OIE BENNINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 DAVID L. ALLEN, 0F` NO'RTH-HOOSICK, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR MOISTENING Application led July 14,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that 1, IRVING 1V. `ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Moistening and Sealing Envelopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for moistening and sealing envelopes and has for its object to provide a simple device through the medium of which moisture may be applied to the guinined under surface of the flap of an envelope without, at the same time, moistening that portion of the under surface of said fiap which is not gummed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for forcing the moistened flap of the envelope into contact with the body portion thereof, thereby sealingthe envelope. f

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a device for moistening and sealing envelopes embodying my invention, a portion thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate portions located therebeneath.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section through one of the spring plungers as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 represents a table embodying therein a frame 6, a stationary portion 7 resting upon said frame anda yielding portion 8 which is pivoted to the stationary portion 7 through the'medium of suitable hinges 9. The frame 6 is supported upon front legs 10 and rear legs 11. The yielding portion 8 of the table 5 is normally inclined slightly at an angle to the stationary portion 7, the front portion ofsaid yielding portion S resting upon a pair of plungers 12 as illustrated in full lines, Fig. 2. Each plunger 12 has a shouldered portion 13 formed thereon which'is normally forced into engagement with the under side AND SEALING ENVELOPES.

1923. Serial No. 651,489.

of the frame 6 through the medium of a coil spring 14 which surrounds said plunger, the upper end of said spring bearing against the under side of said shouldered portion and the lower end of said spring resting upon the lower end of a cylindrical casing 15 which surrounds said spring and is secured to the under side of the frame 6 in any suitable manner.

Mounted in any suitable manner upon the frame 6 beneath the yielding portion 8 of the table 5 is a receptacle 16 adapted to hold a suitable amount of water. Located within the receptacle 16 with the lower portion of the periphery thereof submerged beneath the surface of the water is a moistening roll 17, the latter being fast to a-shaft 18 mount-- ed to rotate in suitable bearings 19 fastened to the inner walls of the receptacle 16. A front edge 20 of the moistening roll 17 is inclined at such an angle to the longitudinal median line of said roll that an edge of a development of the periphery of said roll approximately conforms to the outline` of the edgey of the fiap of an envelope.

The moistening roll 17 moreover, is heavier and the periphery thereof Wider upon one side than upon the other, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof and in its normal positionas illustrated in Fig. 2, the narrow portion of the roll islocated above and the heavier, wider portion of the roll is located below, the action of gravity tending to normally hold said roll in this position.

The yielding portion 8 of the table 5 has an opening 21 therein located above the moistening roll 17 and when said yielding portion is forced downwardly, as will be hereinafter more fully described, the upper portion of said moistening roll projects slightly through said opening.

Secured to the upper surface rof the yield- 'ing portion 8 of the table 5 is a bracket 22 in which a shaft 23 is rigidly secured zinany suitable manner. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 23 is a presser roller 24, the longitudinal median line of whichfis parallel to the upper surface of the yielding portion 8 of the table 5 and when said yielding portion is moved downwardly, the presser roll 211 moves in unisontherewith. l

rThe rear pair of legs 11 extend upwardly Fest at 25 above the upper surface of the stationary portion 7 of the table 5 thereby forming guides and resting upon the stationary portion 7 of the table 5 and positioned by said guides is a support 26 for a column of envelopes S27, the latter being placed one above the other upon said support beneath a flat weight 28 also loosely mounted upon said guides 25 and movable vertically thereon. The support 26 also constitutes a cover for the presser roll 24.

The general operation of the device hereinbefore described is as follows z-Assuming that the various parts are located in their normal positions as illustrated in Fig. 2 and that the portion of the periphery of the moistening roll 17 which is not submerged in the water has been moistened in any suitable nianner, as for example, by operating the device and utilizing a piece of waste paper in lieu of an envelope and thereby rotating said moistening roll; an envelope as illustrated at A in Fig. 1 is placed directly upon the yielding portion 8 of the table 5 with the end portions of said envelope held by the fingers of the operator and with the flap a of said envelope open and facing down as illustrated in Fig. 1. The operator then pushes the yielding portion 8 of the table 5 downwardly against the tension of the spring actuated plungers 12 until said. yielding portion 8 assumes the position illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, at which time the flap a of the envelope will be forced against the periphery of the moistening roll 17 by the presser roll 2li. The envelope A is now moved in the direction of the arrow Z), Fig. 1, thereby rotating the moistening roll 17 and the presser roll 24 and as the edge c of the envelope A advances between the rolls, the edge 2() of the moistening roll will approximately align with the inner edge d of the gummed surface e and said gummed surface will thereby be moistened. After the entire gummed surface e of the flap a has passed between the rolls, the yielding portion 8 of the table 5 is released, whereupon it again rises to the full line position illustrated in Fig. 2. The flap a of the envelope is then folded over against the body portion of said envelope and the latter is then placed upon the support 26 beneath the weight 28 and the pressure of the latter vholds said flap against said body portion while the sealed portion is drying.

It is intended that the distance around the peri hery of the moistening roll 17 shall approximate the length of the envelope employed in the machine and that in moistenthat the moistening roll will make a complete revolution,

4but if, for any reason, the envelope shall be removed from the machine before the flap thereof has been entirely moistened, the moistening roll will return to its normal position by reason of the fact that it is heavier upon its normal lower side than it is upon its normal upper side.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a moistening roll, means to moisten said roll and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the fiap of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a receptacle for water located beneath said table, a moistening roll rotatably mounted within said receptacle and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the fla-p of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

3. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a moistening roll, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof, means to moisten said roll and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the Hap of an envelope against the periphery lof said moistening roll-whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof` between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

4L. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a-pivoted portion-` means to yieldingly support said pivoted portion, a moistening roll, means to moisten said roll and a` presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

5. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a moistening roll, an edge` of the development of the periphery of said roll approximately conforming to the outline of the edge of the flap of an envelope, means to moisten said roll and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

6. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a. stationary portion and a yielding portion, a receptacle for water located beneath said table, al moistening roll rotatably mounted within sad receptacle, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof, and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

7. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a receptacle for water located beneath said tab-le, a mois-telling roll rota.- tably mounted within said receptacle, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof, means to support a column of envelopes, a weight adapted to rest upon the envelopes in said column, and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said moistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

8. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion Aand a yielding portion, a receptacle for water located beneath said table, a moistening roll rotatably mounted within said receptacle, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof, means to support a column of envelopes, a weight adapted to rest yupon the envelopes in said column, means to guide said weight, and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said inoistening roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

9. A device of the character described comprising', in combination, a table embodying therein a stationary portion and a yielding portion, a receptacle for water located beneath said table, a moistening roll rotatably mounted within said receptacle, the center of gravity of said roll being at one side of the axis thereof, means to cover said presser roll and support a column of envelopes above said table, a weight adapted to rest upon the envelopes in said column, guides for said weight and a presser roll rotatably mounted upon the yielding portion of said table and adapted to `move in unison therewith to hold the flap of an envelope against the periphery of said moisteningi roll whereby when said envelope is moved longitudinally thereof between said rolls, the adhesive surface of said flap will be moistened.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RVING W. ALLEN. Witnesses LULU P. GoKAY, WEBSTER S. TEMPLE. 

